Desk companion.



No. 841,391. PATENTBD JAN. 15, 1907;

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' DESK COMPANION. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28 1906 @Vim aan:

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N0. 841,391. PATENTBD JAN. 15. 1907. G. B. HALL. 'DESK COMPANION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28,1906.

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GEORGE B. HALL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

DESK COMPANION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

application tiled June 2S, 1906. Serial No. 323,940.

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. HALL, oi' Rochester, inthe county of Monroe and State of New York, have invent ed a new and useful Improvement in `Desk Companions, which improvementI is fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in desk companions for use in an otlice or counting-room; and it has for its objects, among others, to provide a simple, attractive, and useful device, the same being a combined paper-weight, pencil- Sharpener, and advertising novelty.

Other objects and advantages oi the invention will hereinafter appear 'and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention in its preferred form is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the numerals of reference marked thereon, form a part of this speciheat-ion, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device of the character stated embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a substantially central vertical section through the same, showing by dotted lines the pencil being sharpened. Fig. 3 is a substantially central vertical section taken at right angles to the line of section. of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the pencil sharpenin0` and pointing devices and their supporting -frame removed. Fig. 5 shows in perspective the members of the pencil-sharpening device removed from their supporting-frame and shown in detached but relative positions. Fig. 6 is `a perspective view of the pointing device removed from its supporting-frame.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring nowto the drawings, 1 designates the device, which comprises a body 2, of glass or any other suitable material-such as hard wood, vulcanite, or any other substance-- having any desired shape, in this instance being shoum. as substantially circular, with its outer edge somewhat ornamental and slightly smaller in diameter at the top than at the base, although this is for the sake of giving a better appearance to the device rather than for any special function in its operation. Then formed of glass or transparent material, the bottom of the body portion may be formed with depressions 3, which in this instance are shown as substantially crescentshaped, these being for the urpose ot receiving sheets oi paper or the li ze 4, held therein in any suitable manner, as by a transparent adhesive substance, and on which may be any suitable printed matter, as advertising, as seen in Fig. 1, and which may be read through the transparent body when the device rests normally upon the desk or table or other support. The upper surface of the body 2 is further formed with a depression 5, at the bottom of which may be secured, as by an adhesive substance, a label 6, containing the word Patented together with the date, it desired. This depression is located at a point where it will not interfere with the reading of the printing upon the material 4 at the bottom of the body.

The body 2 is formed with a substantially central mortise or opening 7, extending therethrough and upon the under side of the body, merging into depressions 8 in the bottom face of the body for the reception of projecting ends or tongues on the metal body, soon to be described. This mortise opens at one end, as shown at 9, out through the wall of the body 2, its lower endy being rounded, as shown at 10, to receive the pencil, (indicated by dotted lines at 11 in Fig. 2.) Within this mortise 7 is designed to be removably inserted and trictionally retained a metallic frame orrbody 12, in which are mounted thedevices for sharpening and pointing the pencil. This frame or body is inserted upward through the bottom of the body 2 and is provided at its ends with projecting portions or tongues 13, adapted to it the depressions 8 in the bottom of the body 2, these projecting ends being let in substantially flush with the surface of theA glass, as seen in Fig. 2. These tongues 13 serve to limit the inward and upward movement of the metal body 12 when putting it in place within the main body 2, so that the u per edges of the side walls of said metal bo y when in place are even with the upper surface of the body 2. This frame 12 is formed of spring metal, so as to permit it to be readily inserted within the mortise and retain it rictionallyin place therein. This metallic Jframe, as indicated best in Fig. 4, consists of a rectangular body having two sides and a bottom with open top and ends. This frame contains two devices for cutting the pencilone for planing or whittling down the wood and the other, swinging or pendent, Jfor pointing the lead.

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The device for pointing the lead comprises a Sharpener 14, Fig. 6, formed of a single piece of metal bent upon itself, as at 1 5, the two portions 16 and 17 forming a substantially V-shaped member, and each of said portions 16 and 17 4are bifurcated, so as to orm a V-shaped opening 18, at the apex of which is the somewhat-enlarged circular opening 19. The portion 17 is formed with the lateral extensions 20 at its upper end, as seen clearly in Fig.'6, and these lateral extensions forni pintles or journals which are mounted in openings 21 in the side walls of the frame 12, so that it may freely swing so as to readily conform to any position of inclination of the pencil and not bring a strain upon the lead. This swinging leadpointer maybe easily removed from the body 12 by springing'the sides of the latter slightly apart, this being done for the purpose of sharpening the cutting edges of the portions 16 and 17 or for replacing the pointer by a new one when one becomes worn out.4 As is shown in the drawings,'this cutter or pointer is disposed at oneend of the frame and in a position to be readily accessible for sharpeningthe point of the pencil when desired. Tn pointing the lead portion of a pencil the point is inserted in the twin openings 18 of the opposing portions 16 and 17, as indicated by dotted lines y in Fig. 2, and revolved axially one way and the other, which effectually.

points the lead. The portions 16 and 17 of the Sharpener 14 have four inclined cutting edges atthe sides of the two V-shaped openings 18 for reducing the lead, two of which edges actin together whichever way the pencil may Tvc axially turned, the chips cut from the lead escaping through the opening 19, Figs. 3 and 6, at the bottom of the openings 18.

The cutter for cutting the wooden portion of the pencil in sharpening the same is disposed at the opposite end of the body or frame 12 and is constructed as follows: The frame or body 12 is stamped or punched out of a sheet of metal, such asbrass, and as it is stamped or punched there are stamped or punched from one end tongues 22 and 23 upon each side wall, which tongues extend inward, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4, while 24 is a spring bent upon itself at its center to form the cross portion 25, which bears upon the under side of the lower cutter-plate 26, pivoted at 27, the side portions of the spring being each coiled, as at 28, around the lugs or tongues 23, and thence extended vertically with their vertical portions 29 engaged with the lugs 22, as seen clearly in Fig. 2, so as to hold the spring under proper tension, allowing the plate 26 to be sufficiently depressed by the insertion lof the pencil andreturning it to its proper position after the pressure thereon has been removed. The frame 12 has one of its side walls formed with a stop 30, which is formed by punching a portion of the metal fromsaid side wall, as seen best in Fig. 4, which stop extends inward and bears against the upper face of the plate 26 to prevent its being forced upward too far by its spring.

Pivoted in the end of the frame 12 at a point substantially above the pivot 27 of the plate 26 is a frame 31, Figs. 4 and 5, whose pivot is at 32, and this frame is designed to support the cutting-blade 33, as seen clearly in Figs. 2 and 5. This cutting-blade is formed with an elongated slot 34, through which passes the threaded shank 35 of a screw 36, having a knurled head 37, so that the cutting-blade may be adjusted when desired or removed entirely for sharpening. A washer 38 is interposed between the shoulder 390i the screw 36 and the upper face of the cutting-blade 33 for an obvious purpose.

40 is a button pivoted at 41 to the inner face of one of the side walls of the frame 12 and bearing against the upper edge of the side of the frame 31 to hold the same and the cuttirg-blade firmly in position. By turning this button upward on its pivot the cutting-blade may be tilted over backward to project out of the main body 12, when the thumb-screw may be removed and the cutting blade taken off for the purpose' of sharpening or replacing it by a new one when desired. The spring-pressed plate 26 serves, as will be readily understood, to hold the pencil up against the cutting edge of the cutting-blade during lthe operation of sharpening, it yielding downwardly sufficiently to admit of the passage of the point of the pencil when inserting the same. When whittling down the wood of the pencil, the latter (in the positionshown by dotted lines Fig. 2) is pushed longitudinally inward each time sufficiently to cause its point to meet the opposing wall of the glass body,which serves as a stop or gage, giving to the pencil at each time of sharpening it a similar or'uniform slant of the wood.

The stop 30, Figs. 3 and 4, acts as a stop for the frame 31 as well as for the plate 26 by preventing the frame being pressed too far downward by the button 40. As appears in Fig. 3, this stop 30 acts as a double stop and also serving as a spacer for the two parts 26 and 31, holding them apart, so that the lead of the pencil may pass freely through between them.

The operation will be apparent from the foregoing description, when taken in connection. with the annexed drawings. The shavings cut from the pencil drop into the hollow of the body 12, which forms a convenient receptacle therefor, so that they do not litter the deslr or the floor. There is, as above stated, normally a considerable of a horizontal opening between the main cutting-blade and the spring-plate beneath it, this being designed so that this blade will not do much IOO ICS

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at cutting the lead portion of the pencil, this cutting of the lead being done by the swinging pointer 14 after the wood portion has been cut, the pencil beingremoved from the position to the position y (both indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2) for this purpose.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

1What is claimed as new isl. In a device of the character described, a body portion serving as a paper-weight, and having a recess, and a frame removably held within said recess and carrying two independent cutting devices one of which is mounted to swing.

2. In a device of the character described, a body portion serving as a paper-weight, and a lead-pointing device carried by said body portion and mounted to swing,

3. In a device of the character described, a body portion serving as a paperweight and having a recess with depressions at the ends thereof upon the under face of said body portion, and a frame detachably held within said recess and having end portions seated in said depressions, said frame carrying pencilsharpening devices.

4. In a device of the character described, a frame comprising sides and a bottom, with open ends and top, and a pencil-pointing device having pintles supported in said sides to allow said device to freely swing between said sides.

5. In a device of the character described, a frame comprising sides and a bottom and open at the top and ends, one of said sides having a stop stamped therefrom and a spring-pressed plate pivotally mounted between said sides and limited in its upward movement by said stop.

6. In a device of the character described, a frame comprising sides and a bottom, with open top and ends, one of said sides having a stop stamped therefrom, a spring-pressed plate pivotally mounted between said sides and limited in its upward movement by said stop, and a frame pivotally mounted between said sides and carrying a cutting-blade.

7. In a device of the character described, a frame comprising sides and a bottom, with open top and ends, one of said sides having a stop stamped therefrom, a spring-pressed plate pivotally mounted between said sides and limited in its upward movement by said stop, a frame pivotally mounted between said sides and carrying a cutting-blade, and a pivoted device on the inner face of one of said sides for holding down said pivoted frame.

8. In a device ofthe character described, a body portion serving as a paper-weight, and having a recess extending therethrough, a frame frictionally held in said recess, and having lugs stamped therefrom, a pivotallymounted plate between the sides of said frame, a coperating cutting-blade, and a spring held by said lugs and having a portion extended under said pivoted plate.

9. In a device of the character described, a lead-pointing cutter comprising members a rranged to form a substantially V-shaped member each provided with a bifurcation to form cutting edges, and one member provided with lateral projections to form pivots.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 26th day of June, 1906, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE B. HALL.

Witnesses:

E. B. WHITMORE, JOHN S. KEENAN. 

